Ask HN: What to do with an idle server? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What to do with an idle server?

11 pointspragmar13 comments

I recently upgraded hosting and changed providers in the process. Unfortunately, I prepaid 5 years for a massive discount and have 2 years remaining on the older server. Due to the terms of service, a refund isn't an option - the cost is sunk. I'd considered leaving it up as a mail/svn server, but the benefit would be negligible. Are there any interesting projects (e.g. wave, diaspora) out there that would be worth setting up?

Edit- fixed grammar.

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Run ntp and join www.pool.ntp.org. NTP is one of those critical infrastructure components that everyone always forgets about. A stable longterm stratum II server is always a welcomed addition. Pool.ntp.org has really made it easier to keep your machines clock accurate. Debian and Ubuntu's ntp packages point to pool servers by default now. I think a lot of other distros do the same.

Run a tor middleman node. You won't have any of the legal worries you have about exit nodes. Im not a lawyer but its really unclear what the legal ramifications are for running an exit node anyway:)

Ideas:

1. Bitcoin mining. 2. Sub-sell disk space. 3. Host a mirror of your site (if you use your old site for downloads of any kind)

Mining is questionable. The cost is sunk, sure, but as a server (i.e. no gfx card) it will probably make less than $2 per week.

Lots of open source projects would be happy with an additional mirror. See http://www.openbsd.org/ftp.html#layout for one project's policy. I'm sure that many other projects have similar pages.

1. Let it do some protein folding - do the world some good. folding@home I think the stanford initiative is called.

2. Set up a 'private dropbox'

You could run a Tor exit node: https://blog.torproject.org/blog/tips-running-exit-node-mini...

Thanks for the idea. Tor sounds a bit challenging (legally) -but it would be isolated. Will give it some thought..

  Install nginx and put some porn right on there
  Install nginx and put some porn right on there
  Install nginx and put some porn right on there
  Earl-aye in the morning

  Wipe its disk run a big TOR server
  Wipe its disk run a big TOR server
  Wipe its disk run a big TOR server
  Earl-aye in the morning

  That's what I'd do with an idle server
  That's what I'd do with an idle server
  That's what I'd do with an idle server
  Earl-aye in the morning

For anyone that has no idea what's going on here, this is a reference to a sea shanty called "Drunken Sailor" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunken_Sailor)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGyPuey-1Jw

Why wipe its disk for tor and not porn? Tor requires a neglible amount of disk?

If I were running a tor server as public service, I would be deleting all prior files, and deleting all logs as they are created. I would do this because I would expect at some point, LE might come in and confiscate the machines.

It's been amusing to see those lyrics get voted up or down, I am guessing it's had at about 10 up votes, and currently about 11 down votes.

It's always interesting to compare HN and SO with /. and similar sites. We don't do humor here, and downvote anyone that tries.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2829619

"HN observers often assume we don't have a sense of humor around here. Actually, I've seen a number of funny comments upvoted, and have done so many times myself. It's closer to the truth to say that most people aren't nearly as funny as they think they are."

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